Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-03-29
THE MAKING OF A CITY.

Gan De AWakeneO-VA AuaDlc
Suggestions.
Rev. DR.. Newman Smyth spoke before the
Chamber of Commerce in Loomis' Temple of
Music last night to an unusually large au-
dience, not withstanding the bad state of the
weather. After round of applause which
greeted him as he was introduced to the as
semblage he began his address. His topic
was ''The Making of City"
We receive cities as though they were
ready made. But how are cities madea The
making of city is a very complex thing,
and when we look into the matter it is a
most interesting process. Not unknown in
this country are cities which have been made
within single generation. Single men have
witnessed the erection of cities. attended
once the funeral of man who, in his youth,
pitched his tent in the West Others began
to pitch their tents there. The place grew
till it became city. This man had seen a
city made.
New Haven is very far from being as yet a
finished town or city. I need hardly remind
you of the Importance of city. Our cities
are our nerve forces. The history of civil
cation has been largely the history of cities
The word citizenship shows the supreme place
of the city in history. On account of the
Importance of city, and on account of the
important place which a board of commerce
may hold in the history of a city, have
chosen my present subject.
The forces which make a city are, first,
the natural causes, which are climate, situa-
ton and lines of communication, both
| natural and artificial. Many natural posi-
| bilities of cities are unfulflled. The town
with lesser natural advantages has sometimes
outstripped the town with superior advan-
tages. Another factor in the making of a
"a Il Nat fo1.oa
do not go wholly toward making of a city.
Many of our cities die out because of none of
the improvements which would tend to make
them grow.
The founders and builders of our cities
were strong, sagacious and far-reaching men.
They were men who could seize upon and
utilize natural advantages. They were men
who introduced their ideas in city. The
custom was in ancient Nineveh of keeping
the chronology of the city by the names of
distinguished citizens who had won victories
or honored and enriched the cities.
I do not recollect that the names of any COM
mlttee who built their monuments were in
scribed on them [laughter]. Each year was
known by the name of citizen. In the year
of such a citizen so the annals were kept.
The epochs in the histories of cities
marked by the lives of certain men in the
city. The man who opened that avenue of
trade, who by his far-sighted wisdom secured
who enriched a city by building up an i'm
portant and permanent business in it, who
gave a gift to the city, who impressed
truth upon the institutions of a town
by the names of these men the
history of the city may be
road, the telegraph, the water of the
lakes to New Haven? Who gave cheap
transportation to the outskirts of the city?
Who made its parks and its libraries? Who
opened new business and new channels of
trade to the city? By the means of these
and also by the names of the men whose
lives enlightened and lifted to higher planes
the character of the city.
Every city has its proper individuality.
Each city is an individuality. So to the
traveller and the historian, Paris, Geneva,
Venice, Florence, Rome are distinct person
alities seen and felt. In America we are
developing distinct types of cities from the
Atlantic to the Pacific.
Every city should have a distinct con-
seriousness of its own individuality. There
should be city consciousness, consciousness
of itself; self-knowledge, knowledge of its
natural characteristic and opportunities of
it's needs, of it's true line of development;
and an independent consciousness, not mere
imitation. Cities must not be made to Or
der after one pattern. The development of
individuality is demanded How shall this
be accomplished Lack of public spirit is
paralysis to city. sound, healthy, living
self-consciousness in a city is required.
The training of citizens in the life of the
city is necessary. The means of local educa-
ton must be improved. Local history and
local topography should be studied and pub
lie discussion encouraged. Another and
potent factor in this education is the news
paper. For this reason metropolitan papers
should never be allowed to crowd out local
papers. There is need in a city like New
Haven of local papers in which the local
consciousness should find expression, and
which should be the organ of the full local
talent of the community. A newspaper to
bring out the full local consciousness, and to
bring into play full local talent,
must be a well capitalized paper, and this
means capitalization and consolidation.
Then there is the value of platforms for pub
lie discussion, and in this respect not to be
overlooked is that old institution, the town
meeting In this respect also the old State
House may have moral use. Naughtsr.)
But what 1 wish now especially to empha-
size is the need of union of citizens in max
ing tine city, The speaker enlarged upon
this point, enforcing the thought that there
is imperative need of organized public spirit
and of organs for the expression and applica-
ton of public spirit.
Sometimes under great pressure or intense
public excitement this strong united public
spirit is created. This leads me to speak of
the functions and use of board of trade and
how it may serve greatly in the true develop
ment of the common life of city. The city
which has plenty of life-blood can use what
brains it has, can think and feel, also, and
enjoy; can be warm hearted city.
DIR. Smyth next considered the relation of
the board of trade to the general business
prosperity of the city and spoke of a dis
tinction, originating way back in 1850, and
which still fingered as an echo among US,
the distinction between interlopers and
town born; the interlopers being
men largely responsible for the
intrusion of commerce and the COM
mercial spirit hereabouts; among the intrud-
ers being such men Roger Sherman and
James Hillhouse, to say nothing of Benedict
Arnold. President Stiles, writing in 1884,
thus describes the 343 citizens then qualified
to vote in New Haven as Zone third of the
citizens may be hearty Tories, one third
Wings and one-third Indifferent" "How
large now is the proportion of the indiffer
ent," continued DIR. Smyth, 81 cannot say"
[Laughterl "Of the Common Council"
said DIR. Stiles. 'Fthere are five Wings, Ave
fexibles but in heart Wings, eight Tories"
1.-THE fexibles," added DIR. Smyth, ''are still
not unknown citizens Laughter.
Hardly any public improvement in New
Haven has there been which has not met with
opposition. For instance, the removal of the
cemetery from the Green. Twenty years
after that was accomplished the election of
James Hillhouse was opposed in one of the
newspapers in these words: "God forbid that
the destroyer of the sepulchres of our fore
fathers should ever receive the suffrage of
their sons"
One of our older citizens when Chapel
street between State and Orange streets was
paved against his protest was 80 indignant
that he would take long strides over the
sidewalk and walk in the street saying:
Goods soil is good enough for me-"
Yet, in the main, public Improvements
pay. Search the annals of New Haven and
judge whether each successive Improvement
from the colonial days down has not proved
a commercial profit to the town. The beau
tifying city, the opening of parks, better
sanitation bring returns, not only in the
happiness of the people, but in the increased
population and health and working powers
of city.
Dr. Smyth offered some potent reasons
why the board of trade is power to help